Please help me in choosing the best Anti Virus software for my Windows 7 laptop.
It should be best in Online security, virus resistance, trojan, spywares etc.

January 31st, 2012, 11:47 AM

Cider

Thats like asking what is the best car :).
There are many factors here.
Are you always connected to the internet?
If so, try www.cloudantivirus.com (I work for Panda so if you ahve any issues let me know).
However if you are looking for something that doesnt require 100&#37; uptime on your internet connection I would suggest anything from Avira to Avast.

You can also use Spybot S&D , winpatrol and various other tools.

Give us some more information on your daily habits and I can advise you further.

February 1st, 2012, 07:15 PM

westin

I use a variety of tools. Ccleaner isn't necessarily considered an anti-malware tool, but it cleans out temp folders and other places that malicious files like to hide. I usually follow that up with Malware bytes anti-malware, in or out of safe mode depending on the state of the computer. Then I will use combofix and or spybot S&D. Granted most of this is after the initial infection is detected, as most of these products will do nothing to prevent an infection [with the exception of spybots immunize feature]. There is no one end all be all tool for preventing and detecting infections. They all have their pros and cons.

February 7th, 2012, 09:48 PM

dinowuff

Windows Defender that comes with Windows 7 is OK. The malware cleaner that is downloaded with updates does a good job. OpenDNS is nice - keeps you from the bad sites automagically. But I find the best prevention of malware and viruses is a hammer.

First off, let me just state here and now, that I totally agree with what has already been said about the fact that asking this question is sort of like asking what is the best Car..... I mean, you can't answer this in the usual "Use this" manner, because there are HUNDREDS of options, and each one has it's own merits and uses.

Now, with that said, let me TRY and take a stab at this:

First off, you said you wanted something that will do everything... That's....Ah who cares I'll just state some stuff and you can dig out what you want:

Now, although almost every Anti Virus Company on the Planet has moved away from the "just Anti Virus" method that they used to use before, and has started doing the whole "Internet Security Suit" that we see now, there's still an issue with this...

No ONE product is going to do everything you want perfectly. You REALLY should have multiple tools in place to do this right. Also, Norton Anti Virus, has a HUGE reputation for raping your Computer. Un-installing Norton Anti Virus, or Norton Internet Security, is sort of like trying to build a house with nothing more than a screw driver. You just aren't gonna do it.

I've read Horror stories from people where they had to actually go into the registry by hand and try to remove some of the **** left behind by Norton. Norton digs it's claws so far into your Computer that it's literally a form of Rape; You didn't ask for it, and it forced itself onto you, and when you try to forget it (Un-install it and delete it) you just can't.

So don't go with them.

McAfee is another huge company that makes multiple products to do this. Don't bother. You're going to pay through the ass for it, and, much like Norton, you're going to have system resources come to a crawl.

Your Computer will crawl like a red Neck in a free whiskey Bar.

Here is what I do, but, again, this may or may not work for you because my needs are NOT very high; I don't use Windows for very much, and when I do, I know what I'm doing:

I first off have AVG free installed. I downloaded the free version of AVG Anti Virus. I installed it, and I update it every day. That's what I use for the run of the mill crap.

I also downloaded and installed Spybot Search and Destroy. Not only does it get rid of the tracking cookies everyone sees these days, but it has an Immunization function I like. Basically, every time you update Spybot, you can close all your web browsers, and then, run Immunize. It'll first check what you have available, and then, what it can protect you against, and then, it will allow you to click on it again to actually run the Immunization function.

So, first off, I have a totally Free Anti Virus product installed. Then, I have Spybot Search and Destroy installed, and I use both. This not only keep my Browsers safe from known threats, but it also scans for crap.

I also have it set to watch Emails, even though I don't use this one much, because really, I don't trust Windows when it comes to Email, and I'm too picky about Email Clients, to the point that I rarely can find one I like.

Most of my Email, is done on Unix. Unix has WAY better Email Clients, and, of course, the chance of you seeing a virus on Unix is pretty small. You've got a better chance of seeing someone on the Jersey Shore say something intelligent.

There is NO one answer to this, but there ARE things you can do:

First off, keep your Laptop updated! Use Windows Update, and install all the Security Patches! I can't stress that enough. Also, remember that even if you have updates auto enabled, you should STILL check the Windows update tool every once in a while, because Windows Update only auto downloads and installs security patches.

The stuff that isn't security related, like bug fixes and so on, probably won't show up. The reason I'm not sure is that I have auto update turned off. It's annoying. But I run Windows update about once a week or so, and I download and install all the patches I want, and then, of course, I update AVG every day, and I update Spybot as well.

This is basically a good start, but don't pretend for even a second that you're gonna have a perfect solution in ONE program.

February 13th, 2012, 08:19 AM

Cider

Good response gore but I have to ask ...

Quote:

Most of my Email, is done on Unix. Unix has WAY better Email Clients, and, of course, the chance of you seeing a virus on Unix is pretty small. You've got a better chance of seeing someone on the Jersey Shore say something intelligent.

How do you even know about the shore , hiding something mate?

Edit: Your answer is not allowed to beg the question how I know ...

February 13th, 2012, 09:35 AM

gore

Thanks, I tried to make it as good as I could.

As for your question:

I'll skip over the borderline admission of you watching that **** hole TV show, and get to the point on how I know personally:

I was once forced into watching like 4 episodes of it. In a row. I contemplated jamming a spoon into my testicles, because if I'm gonna suffer like that it may as well be self inflicted. No, I didn't like it. And how these idiots make so much money being so ****ing stupid puzzles me.

February 13th, 2012, 09:47 AM

Cider

haha, have a look for Comedy Central Roast with Trump. That other idiot from shore is in there, must watch!

February 13th, 2012, 10:43 AM

gore

I've seen it. I've been watching the Roasts for a LONG time, and when they had that jack ass on there I couldn't Believe it. I mean, he wasn't funny, he wasn't good, there was NO point in having him on there other than maybe having a living advertisement for Herpes or something.

February 15th, 2012, 01:36 PM

nihil

With Windows 7 & 8 I use Windows Defender. I check for updates on bootup as it doesn't seem to be too clever in this department ;)

I have auto updates enabled on all my XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8 boxes, but select the download only option, as I have seen far too many screw-ups caused by the Windows update installer clashing with something else. You get a little icon in your system tray to tell you when they are ready. Also, set updates to get all Microsoft products.;)

I run Secunia PSI to check for security updates for both Windows and applications. This is important IMO as a lot of exploits are via the application interface rather than the OS.

I run File Hippo Updater to check for the latest versions of applications. Secunia only reports security patches or updates, and end-of-life products.

I shall have to check for it on another machine, but I do have a link to a site with the uninstallers for several security suites......that is, programs that tidy up the loose ends after you have run the application's uninstaller. You should be able to find the tools on the vendor's site as well.

EDIT:

Another product I forgot to mention is Belarc Advisor. Run it and scroll down to the bottom where it lists your Windows patches. If you see one with a red "X" next to it, it means that it didn't install properly, so probably won't work and is a definite candidate for systems insecurity. Microsoft don't detect all installation failures, especially where they have partially installed.